Box Score
Box Score
NEW YORK – The Manhattan College volleyball team made the short trip to Columbia on Friday night for its opening match of the Columbia Classic. Unfortunately, though, the Jaspers (0-8) were unable to come away with the victory, as the Lions (1-4) notched a 25-20, 25-17, 25-21 triumph at Levien Gymnasium.
Columbia scored the first two points of the match before the Jaspers rallied to tie it at 4-4 on a Marissa Behrens (Honolulu, HI) service ace. However, the Lions responded with a 9-3 run to go up 13-7. Manhattan trimmed its deficit to two at 22-20, but Columbia ended the set on a 3-0 spurt to capture a 25-20 win.
After the teams traded the first four points of the second set, Columbia went on an 11-5 run to open up a 13-7 advantage. The Jaspers battled back, though, and pulled within one when Milena Janjusevic's (Belgrade, Serbia) kill made it 16-15. However, Columbia's Kesi Neblett recorded a kill on the next point to start a 9-2 run that finished off the set, 25-17, and gave the Lions a 2-0 lead in the match.
There were six ties early in the third set. With the score knotted at 11-11, Columbia rattled off consecutive points to go up 13-11. Manhattan responded with three straight, though, to take a 14-13 lead. After a 3-0 Columbia run put the Lions back in front, 16-14, a Kenza Hall (Oakland, CA) kill and a Columbia hitting error evened the score once more at 16-16. However, the Lions captured six of the next eight points to build a 22-18 cushion, and Columbia sealed a 25-21 set win to clinch a 3-0 victory.
Olyvia Chaltas (Temecula, CA) smacked a match-high 11 kills for the Jaspers. Janjusevic had six kills and nine digs, while Allie Yamashiro (Kapolei, HI) collected 19 digs. Zoe Lindsey (McHenry, IL), meanwhile, tallied 14 assists and six digs. The Jaspers outdug the Lions 51-50 and hit .044 (26 kills, 21 errors, 113 attempts) as a team.
Zoe Jacobs led Columbia with 10 kills, while Natasha Kosowicz and Neblett registered eight kills apiece. Kosowicz also tallied 10 digs. Chichi Ikwauzom, meanwhile, ripped seven kills on .353 hitting to go along with 10 blocks. Cassie Wes had 17 digs and Grace Campbell distributed 36 assists for the Lions. As a team, Columbia hit .176 (43-21-125) in the match.
On Saturday, Manhattan concludes the tournament with a pair of matches. The Jaspers take on SIU Edwardsville (4-3) at 10 a.m., then face Bryant (3-7) at 5 p.m.
